San Antonio’s ‘American Idol’ singer makes top 24 and TV history

Ada Vox, also from San Antonio, soared this week on “American Idol,” making it into the Top 14. She now faces live voting on the ABC show.

Ada Vox, also from San Antonio, soared this week on “American Idol,” making it into the Top 14. She now faces live voting on the ABC show.

Photo: ABC

Photo: ABC

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Ada Vox, also from San Antonio, soared this week on “American Idol,” making it into the Top 14. She now faces live voting on the ABC show.

Ada Vox, also from San Antonio, soared this week on “American Idol,” making it into the Top 14. She now faces live voting on the ABC show.

Photo: ABC

San Antonio’s ‘American Idol’ singer makes top 24 and TV history

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San Antonio’s “dynamic duo” — the nickname “American Idol” judge Lionel Richie has given Ada Vox, who, under her siren makeup and attire, is South San High grad Adam Sanders — has sailed into the top 24 of ABC’s reboot of the hit singing competition show.

Vox also made “Idol” history Monday night as the first semifinalist in drag.

“You’ve got one of the biggest voices on the planet,” Luke Bryan said while hugging Sanders, who decided to receive the all-important news out of drag, his hair tucked into a man bun and showing traces of a five o’clock shadow.

The praise came after Vox performed an emotion-filled and powerfully soulful version of Radiohead’s “Creep” to applause and cheers from both the judge trio — Katy Perry, Bryan and Richie — and an L.A. nightclub audience.

Following the verdict that propelled him to a semifinalist, Sanders, who was cut after reaching the top 50 as himself in 2013 on Fox’s original “Idol,” exuberantly and tearfully walked away.

Outside, he kicked the sky and pirouetted in celebration.

“Right now, I feel the world is accepting me for who and what I am — and that’s the greatest feeling!” he said.

S.A.’s ‘Voice’ winner

But the night reaped more than one local reality show winner. San Antonio’s Spensha Baker, an Army brat and Judson High School alum, aced the latest round on NBC’s “The Voice,” advancing her to the live playoffs on the hit competition show.

After delivering an intensely intimate rendition of Chris Stapleton’s “Broken Halos” to an admiring crowd on Monday’s “Voice,” Baker, a former gospel singer who makes her living selling real estate in Boerne, was deemed the winner of the Knockout Round against New Yorker Austin Giorgio.

Although her coach, Blake Shelton, declared her the winner, he couldn’t stand to let go of Giorgio, who sang Nat King Cole’s “Almost Like Being in Love,” and instituted a “save” to also advance him to the playoffs.

“We’re down to the best of the best. This is a tough one for me, because you are two of my favorites,” Shelton said. “Austin, you clearly have a passion for entertaining. And Spensha, you clearly have a connection with a song. Stylistically, I love what both of you bring to the table — I’m just a fan. … The winner of this knockout is Spensha.”

However, without much hesitation, he decided to keep Giorgio as well, explaining, “You’re one of a kind. I’m not letting you go.”